If you’re curious about the true state of hospital negligence and medical malpractice in the United States, all you have to do is look at the numbers. Below are a few key stats that can shed light on what things are like in New Jersey.
1. Medical accidents cause anywhere from 65,000 to 200,000 deaths every year. Car accidents, which get far more press, only caused 65,000 deaths, and workplace accidents cause just 11,000.
2. Negligence is present in a minimum of 25,000 to 120,000 of the above deaths.
3. All told, this means that about 1 percent of all people who go to the hospital are victimized by mistakes and malpractice. On the low end, it could be around 0.8 percent.
4. Of those, though, only a tiny fraction attempt to seek compensation. Studies have shown that about 2.9 percent go on to file claims.
5. Interestingly, a very small amount of doctors are responsible for about 50 percent of the incidents. Studies show that a mere 4.8 percent cause about half of the claims to be filed.
6. Unfortunately for those who win their cases, the data shows that about 70 percent of the awards are then going to decrease, as the courts tend to reduce them.
Due to the above, it’s incredibly important to know what legal options you have and to have a good legal team on your side, as you could win your case and still not get the amount you’ve been awarded. This process can be complex, but the stats show that there are plenty of cases that deserve compensation in New Jersey, so don’t let that complexity hold you back.
Source: Civil Justice Resource Group, “Medical Malpractice . . . By the Numbers,” Michael Saks, accessed June 02, 2016
